Monday, December 13, 2004

NIEMOLLER'S QUOTE. You've no doubt heard Pastor Martin Niemoller's quote, uttered in reflection of the progressive pattern of the loss of human rights and ultimate atrocities at the hands of the folks who claimed to have their nation's moral future at heart -- the Nazi party. Here it is again:

"First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."

MY QUESTIONS. When is a minorty group's problem "not my problem?" When you notice civil liberties being curtailed or compromised--perhaps as an emerging pattern of neglect or abuse or simply eclipsed by some other momentarily more important purpose--what do you do? Ignore it? Pretend it's not real? Hope it's not real? Get busy with other personal matters? Pass it off as somebody else's problem? Hope somebody does something about it? What? What am I supposed to do? What are we supposed to do?

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